A UAE-based Brazilian health company was named one of the winners at the Zayed Sustainability Awards ceremony held in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
The event, held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center and attended by President Sheikh Mohammed and several high-level guests, recognized 11 pioneering organizations and high schools from around the world.
“The UAE believes in building bridges of cooperation between different sectors and aligning capabilities and needs to create sustainable and measurable impact as the basis for inclusive progress,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
“This year's winners demonstrate the vital role of real and practical solutions that change people's lives for the better, by improving health and food systems and increasing access to clean energy and safe water sources. Through the Zayed Sustainability Prize, this vision is realized on the ground by putting people first and supporting innovations that create new opportunities for growth.”
Brazilian company Jade won in the health category for its AI-powered game that provides early detection and personalized intervention for conditions such as autism and ADHD.
When Jade was announced as the winner, its founder was on stage with his 12-year-old son Lucas, who has autism, and Emirati students who use the platform. “It felt great,” said founder Ronaldo Lima Kohin Ribeiro.
“We wanted to build technology that could really help neurodiverse children,” he said. “During play, we collect cognitive data. This helps us understand exactly where the difficulties are: why a child is not learning to read or write or why they are struggling with attention.”
Jade moved its headquarters to the UAE after winning a technology competition in Dubai. Evaluation occurs naturally, without children realizing that they are being evaluated.
The platform is currently used by around 200,000 children in 179 countries and has been adopted by more than 650 schools in the UAE, Brazil, the UK and Portugal. The company focuses on partnering with public schools and governments, and it's free to download.
Ribeiro said the award marked the beginning of the company's next phase. “Winning the Zayed Sustainability Award is not the end of the world,” he added. “When you win an award, you also win a mission. Now, our mission is to grow what we do and reach more children.”
What is the Zayed Sustainability Award?
The award aims to shine a spotlight on solutions to tackle the climate crisis. This year, 33 finalists were selected from over 7,760 applications from 173 countries in six categories: Health, Food, Energy, Water, Climate Action, and Global High Schools. The number of entries increased by 30% compared to last year.
The winner of each category will receive a $1 million prize. The global high school category is divided into six regions, with each school set to receive up to Dh550,000 ($150,000) to start or expand a project.
Entries were submitted from the Americas. Europe and Central Asia. Middle East and North Africa. sub-Saharan Africa. South Asia; and East Asia and the Pacific.
winner
In the food category, Singapore's N&E Innovations was recognized for its approach to converting food waste into biodegradable packaging to extend shelf life and reduce post-harvest losses.
Switzerland's BASE Foundation won the award in the energy category for its pay-as-you-go cooling module. In the water category, Brazilian company Stattus4 won first place for its AI-powered sound and pressure sensors that help utilities locate and repair water leaks in real-time.
In the climate change category, Buildup Nepal was awarded for manufacturing eco-bricks, a low-carbon and earthquake-resistant alternative to coal fuel that reduces emissions for affordable and durable housing.
School initiatives
Canja High School was one of the winners in the high school category. It was recognized as a circular project that combines duck farming and catfish ponds to produce affordable protein while reducing pressure on nearby forests.
The idea for the Uganda school that won in the sub-Saharan Africa category came directly from the students, said principal Kabanda Michael.
“They started going around schools and neighborhoods and seeing the problems people were facing,” he said. “Food, especially nutritious food, was in short supply, so people were venturing into the forests to sell firewood and charcoal to feed their families.”
He said forests in central Uganda are steadily shrinking as residents look for ways to generate income. “When we spoke to people living near the forest and asked them if they would stop if they had another source of food and income, they said they would,” Michael added. “The project started from there.”
Students designed a zero-waste farming system that allows ducks and catfish to be raised together. “A duck haven has been built over the fish pond and we feed the ducks with leftover food collected from schools and nearby communities,” he said. “Their droppings fall into the water and fertilize it, allowing natural life to grow and feed the catfish.”
Water from the pond is regularly removed and reused for irrigating vegetables and growing plants that feed back to the ducks, ensuring a circular and low-cost system. The school tested the idea on a small scale.
“We made a small prototype at school and it worked,” he said. “While still limited to schools at the moment, this idea has shown real potential and has been recognized. With this funding, we can now expand it to benefit the wider community.”
Other winners in this category were Mamawi Atosuketan Native School in Canada, Al Rajya School for the Deaf in Jordan, Bodrum Anatolian High School in Turkey, Faafu Atoll Education Center in the Maldives, and Ruamrudi International School in Thailand.
